


I Need a Hand

by triscilie



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Domestic, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-15
Updated: 2014-04-20
Packaged: 2018-01-19 13:07:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1470931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/triscilie/pseuds/triscilie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroko finds himself in a strange situation when one of the children in his kindergarten class loses both of her parents and turns to only person she can trust. Future AU. Mostly jobs from character bible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Kuroko's eyes shot open at the sound of his home phone ringing. He struggled to maintain his blank, stoic face as he had to crawl to the other side of the bed in order to reach the phone. The space that was usually occupied by his red-headed, thug of a boyfriend.

The same boyfriend who was supposed to be staying at the firehouse tonight.

Kuroko refused to let that feeling of dread fill up as he ignored the flashing alarm clock, 1:37 AM. It's probably Kise in America forgetting about the time exchange. Please let it be Kise. He grabbed the phone with steady hands.

"Hello."

"Hello? Kuroko-san, is it?" a soft woman's voice hesitantly asked.

Kuroko swallowed dryly when he didn't hear Kise's annoying squeal. "Yes, that is me."

"I'm so sorry. We really didn't mean to bother you this late at night, I'm calling from Social Services."

"Social…Services?" Kuroko asked carefully already feeling his body relax. He rubbed his eyes suddenly feeling tired now that his alertness had faded. He yawned into the receiver.

"I'm sorry?" the woman said.

"Sorry." Kuroko muttered, "Why exactly are you calling again?"

The woman sighed reluctantly, "Kuroko-san are you familiar with a young girl named Sato Ayame?"

"Ayame-chan?" Kuroko asked with furrowed brows in confusion, "Yes..she is in my Kindergarten class."

"Yes….this evening Ayame's parents got into an accident on their way home." Kuroko's eyes widened, "Unfortunately they didn't make it."

"They didn't make it…" Kuroko repeated in a hollow monotone voice, not really processing the information. He shook his head, "Ayame-chan…how is she?"

"That's what I'm calling about Kuroko-san. She obviously isn't taking the news very well. This happens often when young children are put in such stressful and tragic situations. The problem is…there wasn't a written will."

"I'm not sure where you are going with this." Kuroko bluntly stated, but his eyes were narrowed already having a good idea what was going on. Ayame didn't have anyone to take care of her, social services was taking her in.

"I'm calling because…we're having some trouble with her. And, well…she keeps asking for you…."

It had taken 5 minutes for Kuroko to leave the house.

When Kuroko reached the hospital he was pointed in the direction of the lobby. He walked with calm steps but there was a cold dread in his stomach.

For one he hated hospitals. Being in a relationship with a firefighter meant spending longs nights by yourself wondering whether every night after this one would be the same. It meant having to hold your breath whenever you heard about a fire on the news, about a fire taking lives. And it meant memorizing the white washed walls of the lobby room while your boyfriend was being treated for 2nd degree burns.

Kuroko didn't shutter, and his face remained blank as reached the familiar sight of the lobby. He caught sight of a young child with brown hair hung in two low pigtails curled into a ball and sitting in one of the chairs by herself.

"Ayame-chan." Kuroko moved faster, quickly placing himself in front of the girl. She raised her head and Kuroko, for the first time that night, let that pain in his chest be expressed on his face.

Her big blue eyes stared at him in fear; there were dried tear stains against her cheeks. Her lips trembled and her next words came stumbling out of her mouth, "Ku-Kuroko sensei!" she wailed and fell into his arms Kuroko quickly catching her.

She placed her head on his shoulder and cried hard into the fabric, mumbling nonsense every now and again. Kuroko just held on to her, hugging her shaking body into his.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

.

.

.

"Oi! Where have you been?"

Kuroko had barely had a chance to step inside when he heard a loud voice barking at him. The blue-haired male glanced inside his apartment to see Kagami sitting at the table with a large cup of coffee in his hands. He was shooting Kuroko a suspicious, but weary look. He must have been worried.

"I had a thing."

Kagami raised a single eyebrow staring back to the shorter boy. The phrase 'I had a thing' was precisely vague enough to warrant further questioning. Despite the fact Kagami used it often, because he was fireman. It could easily be assumed, and often was assumed that his thing was a fire. Kagami wasn't sure what 'thing' would cause a kindergarten teacher to leave their apartment in the middle of the night.

Kuroko yawned for the 5th time and Kagami got a better look at his face. His boyfriend looked strained and there was a look lingering in his ice blue eyes that Kagami couldn't quite place. But whatever it was he didn't like it.

"What happened?" He murmured as he watched Kuroko fiddle with the cappuccino machine.

"It was nothing."

Kagami was losing his patience and he growled, "Nothing doesn't make you leave the apartment at night."

Kuroko stared at him blankly for a moment before he closed into the other man. Kagami blinked and before he knew it the shorter boy was placing a kiss against his forehead. Before the red-head could respond Kuroko had backed away and continuing his business in the kitchen.

Kagami poked the spot on his forehead still feeling the heat, "What was that for?" he mumbled slowly.

"For not being the one I had to visit at the hospital last night." Kuroko responded lowly.


	2. Adoption Papers

Somewhere between the soft words that Kuroko used to tell Kagami about what happened, the red head managed to get his arms around the shorter boy and guide the pair to the coach. As Kuroko painfully recalled the utter fear in Ayame's eyes and how it took an hour to cradle the girl back to sleep Kagami had tucked his chin above the light blue bed of hair. Kuroko sighed and pressed his face into his boyfriend's shoulder.

"I've never felt so helpless…" Kuroko muttered.

"That isn't true. If it weren't for you that little girl wouldn't have had anyone, you did help…"

"But now what."

Kagami winced at how dull his voice was, "What are you talking about?"

"One night, I was able to comfort her for one night. Her parents are gone, she's basically been abandoned. I just…" Kagmi felt Kuroko stiffen in his arms. The silence was overwhelming and Kagami released his hold on his boyfriend long enough to catch a glimpse of his face.

Kagami had gotten used to look of blank indifference that usually took form on Kuroko's face. But after years of simply living with each other he had managed to be able to decipher how the boy felt with the slightest altercations in his face, the barest hint of a dip at the corners of his lips indicated he was angry or that adorable tinge of red that burnt at the end of his ears meant Kuroko was embarrassed.

So right now looking at Kuroko's face Kagami was overwhelmed with how much raw emotion the boy was showing. Kuroko was struggling to find words to continue and his face fell when he failed to say anything.

"I just don't know…"

Kagami hated that tone of defeat in the smaller boy's voice, in a way it was an indication of Kagami's own failure. But there was little he could do at the moment but wrap his arms around Kuroko tighter.

"It'll be okay, not right now. But it'll be okay…"

The red head felt Kuroko barely nod into his shoulder.

.

.

.

It was probably around noon that Kuroko got his second phone call from the hospital. Luckily Kagami had the day off and he drove the pair along the familiar route to the hospital. Kuroko still seemed sleepy and he was leaning against the passenger door, his cheek smudging the mirror.

Kagami glanced at him, "You okay?"

"M'fine." The smaller boy mumbled a subtle sag in his tone. Kagami looked back to the road his face tensing. He hated not being able to say anything to help. Ever since high school Kuroko and Kagami were a team, an unstoppable team that could face any challenge. And right now his partner was in pain, and Kagami felt useless.

"Kagami-kun, that's an ugly look on your face."

"EH?!" Kagami lost control of the wheel for a few seconds, before gripping it tightly and wincing at the ensuing horns from behind him. "Sorry, sorry…oi! What was that unnecessary commentary for?"

"I was just pointing out a fact, like how Kagami-kun is a bad driver."

"I am not!"

"When was the last time you were allowed to drive the fire truck." Kuroko calmly pointed out. Kagami simmered silently at this, his face burned in embarrassment. "Hmm…your face is almost as red as your hair."

"Shaddup!" Kagam hollered, he gritted his teeth and only settled down when he noticed the small smile on his boyfriend's face. It was a much better look than what he was wearing before.

"I apologize for making you worry Kagami-kun." Kuroko said, his face blanking again. "This isn't your problem."

"Don't be stupid." Kuroko glanced over at the stern edge to his boyfriend's voice. "We're partners; we go through these issues together."

Kagami's voice was resolute and comforting at the same time. Kuroko felt a warmth takeover his body masking the dull pain that had been haunting him since early this morning. Kuroko's smile returned, and he turned his attention back to the window.

"Your face is still red."

"…shut up."

.

.

.

As soon as Kuroko and Kagami stepped into the lobby, Ayame ran into the shorter man's legs pulling on his pants desperately.

"When I woke up you weren't there!" Ayame cried raising her face towards her sensei.

"I'm sorry Ayame-chan." Kuroko squatted down and was tackled to the floor when Ayame jumped in his arms. She seemed panicked and was shivering in his hold. Kuroko looked up at Kagami confused; the taller man shook his head helplessly.

"Ayame-chan, please calm down. I'm right here." Kuroko said, patting her back soothingly. She was stuttering and clutching at him like he would disappear if she didn't. Kuroko had no intensions of doing such a thing.

"Kuroko-sensei, please don't…" she swallowed hard, tightening her grip even harder. "I don't want to be left alone."

"Sorry, sorry…" he mumbled, feeling like he couldn't apologize enough. Kuroko cradled the girl closer. Ayame seemed to finally calm down, her initial panic subsided and the tears finally started forming again.

Kagami watched the pair and felt like he was intruding, he took a few steps away glancing around the lobby and shivered. He probably hated hospitals more than Kuroko did, he unconsciously rubbed his hand against his left thigh.

"Ah, I'm sorry…"A woman walked hesitantly towards Kagami. "I noticed you came in with Kuroko-san, are you his friend?"

"Uhm…yeah, I am."

"Well obviously he is a bit pre-occupied," the woman looked uncomfortable glancing at the pair on the ground. "But here are the papers he was asking about before. Please tell him to give me a call as soon as he can." She gave him a strained smile and walked away.

Kagami gave her a questioning look before glancing at the papers she had just handed him. His eyes widened as he started reading through the sheets.

"Adoption papers….?"


	3. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, I update so quickly...it has nothing to do with the fact that the I wrote this all like 6 months ago. Nothing. Whatsoever. Things get REAL in this chapter.

Kuroko was rocking Ayame to sleep like it was second nature. The girl had exhausted herself from crying and curled into her sensei's protective hold. Kuroko took one last glance at the girl's face to confirm she was asleep; he brushed against the brown fringe matting her forehead with care.

It had been a good twenty minutes since they arrived and he had noticed that Kagami wasn't in the vicinity. Kuroko understood Kagami's tentativeness with hospitals, he was grateful that his boyfriend was willing to put up with being uncomfortable just to drive them here.

"Hey." Kuroko looked up to the left to find Kagami standing next to him. Apparently the surprise showed on his face when Kagami gave him a smile, but it seemed distant.

"I managed to sneak up on you?" Kagami joked seating down next to Kuroko, he was holding two wrapped burgers in his hand. "That's definitely a first."

Kuroko stared up at him with a frown, "Are you alright?"

"I'm not the one you should be worried about." Kagami looked down at the sleeping girl. "How is she holding up?"

"She…fell asleep quicker than last time, I think she's tired."

"I don't blame her." Kagami muttered, his gaze returned to the bags underneath Kuroko's eyes. He placed the burgers he was holding aside and held out his arms, "Here, I'll hold her."

Kuroko looked hesitant, but Kagami was insistent. "You didn't eat anything this morning, at least have a burger and I'll hold her."

The shorter boy relented handing Ayame carefully to Kagami, he watched slightly concerned as his boyfriend rose back up cradling the girl in his muscular arms.

"We'll be fine." Kagami said without looking back, he walked slowly back to her room closing the door behind him. Kuroko stared at the door uneasily before finally unwrapping the burger and taking a measly bite.

Kagami had entered the hospital room in order to get some sunlight. He felt the white washed walls in the hospital were suffocating and bland, he could never feel comfortable unless the window blinds were open. The red-head walked towards the clear window panel and leaned against the surface. Ayame's strained features seemed to relax under the warmth and Kagami smiled.

He held the small body in his hands a little tighter…Kuroko was thinking about adopting her. They were supposed to take care of this tiny person. Protect her? Teach her?...was he ready for something like that?

Ayame sighed softly and pressed her nose closer, nudging against his chest. The warmth of her breath seeping through his shirt eased Kagami's scattered thoughts for the moment and he focused on rocking her quietly.

.

.

.

"Where is she?" Kuroko's voice was laced with a panicked edge but Kagami brushed it off. He slumped back into his seat next to Kuroko.

"She's sleeping."

Kuroko got up to go into the room, but was stopped when Kagami grabbed his wrist. "Let go Kagami-kun, she'll get scared if she wakes up alone."

"I said, she's sleeping…" his voice was gruff with annoyance. He yanked the smaller boy back into his seat. "Besides, you should probably explain this to me while we have the chance." Kagami handed the adoption papers to Kuroko; he rubbed his eyes ignoring the shock on his boyfriend's face.

"Kagami-kun-"

"I really didn't want to talk about something like this here." Kagami sent a glower around the hospital; it was difficult to tell where his subtle anger was directed act. "But I guess you have other ideas in your head...how long have you been wanting to adopt?"

"It's not that simple." Kuroko said seriously, "I'm not suddenly interested in having a child Kagami-kun. But I'm at a complete odds because I can't let Ayame-chan be taken away. She isn't emotionally stable for something like that. The only reason Social Services hasn't taken complete custody of Ayame-chan is because she's still technically admitted into the hospital. The only way to avoid having her taken away is if…"

"We adopt her?" Kagami asked blankly. Kuroko sighed deeply at the words.

"I know this is a lot to take in, and I'm sorry." Kuroko was pleading, "But please understand. I've been running through my head everything that I could possibly do-"

"But you didn't tell me a word of it." These words were angrier, Kagami glared at Kuroko. "You've been up since early this morning thinking about these things by yourself…about adopting. Something that a couple is supposed to discuss together."

"Of course I was going to tell you Kagami-kun."

"After you made the decision." Kagami scoffed looking away. "I get that this situation sucks, but that's even more of a reason to talk to me about these things. It pisses me off when you don't even bother telling me anything."

Kuroko closed his eyes and took a calming breath, "Alright. You're right." He opened his eyes again; Kagami flinched at the piercing eyes. "What should we do?"

The red head blinked for a moment, before shaking his head in disbelief. "You want to decide this now?"

"There isn't much time left, especially since we aren't blood relatives it's going to be difficult adopting her. If we are going to do this, we need to start now."

"Kuroko, are you serious? This is adopting…a kid…" Kagami looked wildly around gesturing between the pair, "Us…adopting?"

Kuroko nodded his head blankly, "Yes, this is what I'm talking about."

Kagami leaned his arms on his knees and placed his face in his hands. This was way too much so quickly. They were only twenty-three. When he saw the adoption papers he thought maybe Kuroko was getting ideas about adoption. Ideas. He didn't expect Kuroko to ask about adopting a kid right this very second. God damn, Kagami hadn't even had a chance to propose to the guy yet and he wanted children. It was overwhelming.

He felt a gentle touch on his shoulder and knew it was Kuroko's soft attempts to comfort him. His familiar fingers were trailing soothing circles against his jacket cloth. It helped relax him for a moment, but then he tensed. Kuroko had already made a decision that was obvious. He was just waiting for Kagami's answer.

There was a strange pressure he felt. This entire decision was on his shoulders, and he felt that strain intensify under Kuroko's touch. Kagami stood up away from his boyfriend and winced at the hurt that flashed in those ice blue eyes.

"I'm sorry Kuroko, this isn't easy for either of us I get that…."Kagami took a deep breath running a hand through his hair, "But I just need some time, okay?"

"That's the problem we don't have much time."

"You want me to make a decision now! How can you expect me to do that?" Kagami was straining not to yell out, but Kuroko was testing his nerves. And why was his boyfriend being so calm about everything?

Kagami suddenly paused and turned back to Kuroko, "…what if I don't agree?"

A strange look started forming in the shorter boy's eyes. "Kagami-kun.."

"Answer me Kuroko." Kagami shook his head, "What if I think it's a bad idea? That we're not ready for something like this, that our relationship isn't ready for a kid?"

Kuroko hesitated, clenching his fists. "…I'm ready for a kid."

Kagami looked confused for a moment before Kuroko raised his head and shot him a sorrowful look. The realization hit him like a hard punch in the gut; if we can't do it together I'll do it alone. Kagami backed away slowly shaking his head. Kuroko panicked and jumped up to reach him.

"Kagami-kun, I know it sounds like a lot but I know you can handle it." Kuroko's voice was edging on desperate. "I know we can handle something like this, please."

"So my options are becoming a parent at twenty-three or breaking up with you?" Kagami's voice hitched angrily.

"Kagami-kun! Please listen to me!" Kuroko cried out. "I don't have many options right now. I don't want to go through this alone." His anxiety must have been recognized by the taller male, Kagami seemed to have calmed down momentarily.

"We don't need to decide right now…Ayame-chan is being discharged tomorrow night. When I talked to social services about potentially adopting her, I was told that I need to contact them within 24 hours after she gets discharged."

"Why so quickly?"

Kuroko sighed, "They're looking into foster families for her and want to make the transition as quick as possible. If we appeal to try and adopt her they'll hold off on sending her anywhere until the decision is made."

Kagami cursed loudly earning him a handful of dirty looks from passing nurses. "I can't believe this is happening…"

"If we could just talk about it for a second-"

"I don't want to talk about it with you." Kagami's tone touched a cold decibel that Kuroko couldn't identify with, "You've already made a decision, without me. All you want to talk about is trying to convince me to agree with you. I want to make this decision by myself."

Kuroko watched Kagami pace the floor; the red head rubbed his left thigh in a continuous motion nervously. He seemed to become more panicked by the second. He reached for his cellphone and sent Kuroko a strange look, a mixture of guilt and distress.

"I'll…be back."

Kuroko felt his heart sink watching Kagami leave the hospital in haste.


	4. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally some Aomine and Kise! Enjoy!

If Kagami wasn't dressed for work, he was usually in a pair of basketball shorts and a loose fitting shirt. So he didn't have to change when he left the hospital towards the basketball courts. His hands were still jittery when he finally found a tall, tanned man leaning against a hoop with a cell phone in his hand.

"Hey." Kagami greeted blankly, Aomine looked up and tucked his cell away. The red-head didn't meet his gaze as he moved in closer.

The two had gotten closer over the years; Kagami had to begrudgingly admit that Aomine was probably his best friend. The navy haired man had been playing basketball professionally in Japan for the past five years and had been gaining NBA attention since before high school was over. He hadn't been the only one at the time.

Aomine suddenly threw the ball into Kagami's stomach as soon as the red head had gotten in distance. "Oof!" he let the surprised breathe escape as he clutched the ball. The dark navy gaze hovering on him made Kagami stiffen.

"I-uhm, sorry I-"

"Shut up." Aomine's gruff voice cut him off.

Kagami glared at him, "Oi! I'm the one that called you-"

"-to play basketball." The other boy interrupted impatiently. Aomine crouched down in position and narrowed his eyes, "So let's play."

.

.

.

Kagami could only hear his own ragged breaths by the time that the basketball was rolling untouched against the court. Spending the past hour just concentrating on basketball had been a good distraction from everything piling up in his mind. In a weird way Aomine knew exactly what Kagami needed when he was stressed.

Aomine was standing away wards watching him patiently. He knew Aomine was waiting for Kagami to initiate the conversation; the red-head felt his gaze and gripped the loose cloth of his shorts.

"He got adoption papers." Kagami finally muttered his head was still ducked so he didn't see the look of surprise on Aomine's face.

"Oh." The navy haired boy rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I didn't know you two were…looking to…uhm-"

"We weren't." Kagami hissed irritably. He rose up to full height with a hard look on his face. "At least I wasn't. He didn't even talk to me about it." Aomine was silent as Kagami explained everything that had happened that day.

"If I hadn't accidently gotten those adoption papers in my hands I don't even know when I would have been told about it." Kagami scowled. The two stood quietly for a few moments. Kagami glared at Aomine, "Say something dumbass."

"Eh…well to be honest, I was sure this was all somehow your fault." Aomine shrugged, "I didn't actually think Tetsu did something wrong."

Kagami threw the ball squarely at his head.

"Ow! Damnit Bakagami!" Aomine growled, throwing the ball back. "So this little brat, she doesn't have anybody else."

"Not according to legal records…"Kagami trailed off remembering the frightened girl crying in Kuroko's arms. "I…Kuroko was talking about Social Services taking her in."

Kagami felt a swell of guilt around the same time Aomine let out a deep sigh.

"I feel like an asshole. I mean I get that he cares about this kid…but he threatened to break up with me."

"Must be tough on him." Aomine murmured. "Tetsu is being pushed in a corner right now, and he's doing what he always does…taking one for the team. Honestly he's being pretty unselfish right now."

"I wouldn't say breaking up with me is the most saintly deed that's graced the earth." Kagami cracked sarcastically.

"He's putting that little girl's needs ahead of his own, ahead of your relationship. You think he wants to break up with you? Whatever you're feeling in regards to your relationship ending…he's probably feeling the same thing, heck it's probably worse for him because he feels like he instigated it."

Aomine's voice was unusually bitter, but it wasn't necessarily directed towards Kagami. Probably just the situation. After all break-ups were one of the few things Aomine could attest to having a large knowledge about.

"Look I'm not saying you should adopt the kid…but don't make this about Kuroko and you. This is just about you. If you want a kid or not, it's just that simple."

"No it isn't!" Kagami yelled in frustration, "This is about me breaking up with the love of my life."

Aomine stared at the red-head with a rather solemn expression, "Kagami, listen to me. If you agree to this and you aren't ready for that kind of commitment you're going to regret it. It doesn't matter how much you love Tetsu, you can't concede to his decision with something as big as this."

Kagami was silent a confused, and distressed look started forming on his face.

"Moron. Don't make that ugly-ass face unless you have to, you still have time to decide. Come on." Aomine clapped Kagami on his shoulder.

"Come where…" The red-head grumbled in response.

"To my apartment." The blue haired boy responded casually, Kagami blinked in surprise. "Like I'm letting you go back to Tetsu with that constipated look on your face."

Kagami flustered, "I'm not-my face isn't-"

"I just texted Tetsu he's staying at the hospital tonight." Aomine informed pocketing his cellphone and reaching out for the abandoned basketball.

"I don't know maybe I should go talk to him." Kagami looked uncertain. "We've never really fought like this before."

"You two need space, even if it's just for the night." Aomine offered the basketball to Kagami, "Trust me."

.

.

.

"Kise isn't supposed to get home till late tonight." Aomine carelessly threw his keys and phone against the table before chucking the basketball somewhere in the living room, making Kagami wince at the crashing sound that ensued. Kagami went slack-jawed at the state of the kitchen, dirty dishes covering every countertop and empty ramen cups piling against the trashcan.

"How long has Kise been gone?"

"Two weeks." Aomine replied his tone was almost sad. "Oi, don't think I'm letting you stay here for free. You're cooking dinner Bakagami!"

"Gee…thanks." Kagami mumbled rolling his eyes.

"I'm gonna take a shower."

Kagami didn't respond and instead took a look around the apartment before sighing. A basketball player and pilot's salaries were pretty impressive if their apartment was any indication. Despite the tarnishing it went through from Aomine's lack of care. He winced again looking at the mess.

"Might as well clean up before dinner…"

.

.

.

Kagami tied the apron around his waist and rummaged through the cabinets for a pot. After basketball, cooking was probably his favorite thing to do. But unlike basketball cooking gave him a lot more time to think.

He thought about what Aomine was saying before…this was his decision. He had to think about it without thinking about Kuroko.

Could he be a parent….yeah he thinks he could. Financially they could handle another mouth to feed; there was even a spare bedroom in the apartment. And it's not like he would mind…taking care of an orphaned child…

Honestly, he knew he could do it. But then what was holding him back…

"Kagamichi?"

Kagami blinked and looked up at the familiar voice, he smiled faintly. "Ah…Kise, you're back early."

Kise seemed to recover from the initial stun and grinned brightly, bouncing toward him. "What a surprise! You came all the way here just to throw me a personal surprise party, how sweet~!

"Eh?! Like hell, and what part of this looks like a surprise to you!"

"Well, Kagamichi in an apron for starters." Kise laughed at the flush on the taller man's face. "I'm only teasing Kagamichi, Aominechi already told me you were staying."

"Did he say why?" Kagami mumbled. Kise fell silent at the inquiry for a moment.

"He didn't. But I've been talking to Kurokochi."

"I don't know Kise…I've been really thinking about it…and Kuroko…"

"A word of advice Kagamichi?" Kise whispered secretively, he had a sad smile on his face. "I know it's tough…but you have to think about what you want. It sounds selfish and awful, but you can't expect to take care of someone else when you can't treat yourself properly."

Kagami sighed, "Even if I could do that…I don't know what I want. I want Kuroko. That's all I know. But being a parent…could I do that?"

"That's the real question right…I know you love Kurokochi, that isn't the problem. Would you be willing to take care of that little girl without him?" Kise asked tilting his head, "I don't think this is as hard of a decision as you're making it to be."

Kagami grumbled at the comment. The blonde snickered behind his hand, and patted his shoulder sympathetically, "Ne, admit it. You just got scared at the idea of Kurokochi breaking up with you? Oooh, poor Kagamichi!"

Kise pinched the taller man's cheeks, Kagami scowled "Get off me!" slapping the pilot's hands away, Kise laughed.

"If it makes things any easier Kagamichi, I think you'd make a great dad." Kise smiled, with a wink.

Kagami looked startled at that statement but was interrupted before he could respond.

"I thought I heard an annoying squeal." Aomine appeared from the hallway fresh from the shower and took little time grabbing Kise around the waist and reeling him in until their hips met. Kise laughed as his boyfriend nudged his nose along his jawline. "That tickles!"

"I missed you." Aomine mumbled lowly against the blonde's ear. Kise beamed back at him pecking his lips.

"I missed you more I bet." He whispered against Aomine's lips.

Kagami made a disgusted gagging noise, "You two can stop making kissy faces any time you want. I'm making food, wouldn't want me to throw up in it."

"You haven't finished cooking yet loser?"

"Oh! What are we having?"

"I shouldn't be cooking anything for you free-loaders!"

"Who's in who's apartment, Bakagami!"

"Ahomine!"

"Ah! This is all so nostalgic!"

"Shut it Kise!" two voices rang out as once.

"Wah! So mean!"

.

.

.

Dinner had gone about us smoothly as it could have between the trio. But Kagami seemed a lot more at ease, smiling more frequently. Aomine was sure he had made a decision.

"Yeah, yeah I'm listening." He muttered, Aomine was leaning against the headboard of the bed sleepily, propping his cell phone against his ear.

"Aomine! This is serious, I was talking to some scouts in America and they say your stock has been rising they're really interested…" Aomine stared disinterestedly at the wall.

Kise walked in then and sent him a curious look, Aomine mouthed back "agent" before yawning into the receiver. A few seconds later he jerked up as his agent yelled at him for falling asleep in the middle of their conversation. Aomine scowled irritably.

"Look. Kise just got back from his two-week rendezvous around the globe-yes, he's right here….no! I'm not going to put him on the phone." Aomine snapped, but Kise had already reached over and tried grabbing the device in excitement.

"I haven't talked to her in forever." Kise cried out draping himself over his boyfriend's body to get closer. Aomine tried warding him off, a conversation between his agent and Kise could last for ages and he wasn't waiting that long.

"No! You can talk later; I can't bang him while you two are talking. Your annoying voice would ruin the mood."

"Aominechi!" Kise screeched and a similar high pitched shriek echoed out of the cell phone.

"Bye." Aomine ended the conversation quickly. Kise stuffed a pillow in Aomine's face; his cheeks still flushed mumbling about how embarrassing his boyfriend was.

"You weren't serious were you?" Kise said scoffing skeptically, "I mean Kagamichi is sleeping in the guest room. He might hear us."

Aomine raised an eyebrow, "Might, he'll definitely hear you."

"Yeah, that's not helping convince me." Kise responded flatly, he then smiled charmingly scooting closer to the tanned body. "I think Kagamichi made a decision."

Almost automatically Aomine wrapped an arm around Kise, who snuggled closer to him sneaking his face into the crook of his neck. "Quicker he does, quicker he leaves."

"You invited him over in the first place."

Aomine shrugged, "The guy was sulking. He needed some perspective."

"I can't imagine what they're going through, Kurokochi sounded upset when I was talking to him. But…as soon as I told him Kagamichi was talking with you, he seemed assured that everything was going to be okay."

Aomine shrugged, "All I did was talk to him."

"You're a really good friend." Kise muttered, smiling against Aomine's skin. Aomine just squeezed him tighter. "Hey what was your agent calling about?"

Aomine frowned for a half second watching his boyfriend smile at him brightly. He then returned the smile.

"It was nothing." He leaned in to kiss down Kise's throat as the blonde laughed beside him.


	5. Sleep Tight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short, short chapter...but super sweet :D

Kagami stared horrified at the door, those two were not…oh the agony. Those…noises….Good lord, he should have known better than to stay here during a reunion between Aomine and Kise. He quickly made his way out of the apartment, besides…he was pretty sure he knew what he needed to do now. He started out towards the hospital before even thinking about it, he really needed to be with Kuroko right now.

.

.

.

Kagami entered the hospital not even sure of what he was going to say and not even aware of what time it was. When he reached the lobby he didn't see Kuroko there.

Well…Kagami awkwardly looked around the room, now what was he supposed to do? Kuroko was supposed to be sleeping here, where could he be? The red-head walked around the hospital trying to remember where Ayame's room was, maybe Kuroko was there.

Suddenly he noticed a familiar head of hair pop out from one of the hospital rooms. Kagami quirked a brow as the little girl quietly tried sneaking out of the room without gaining any attention.

"And just what do you think you are doing?" Kagami asked, Ayame looked up at him wide-eyed at being caught. He easily towered over the tiny girl, casting his gigantic shadow over her terrified features. Not to mention he had a predisposition to scowl at all times.

It really shouldn't be surprising that Ayame burst into tears.

Kagami immediately panicked at the young girl wailing. "Ah…er…you…there there." He patted the girl's head trying to quell the crying and avoid being kicked out of the hospital.

It took a few moments but Ayame's cries gradually started dying down. She blinked at him suddenly.

"Wait, you were the one who rocked me earlier today."

"You remembered that?"

Ayame hesitated, "Not exactly, I just remembered that something big and warm was holding me. It was a lot different from Kuroko-sensei's hands."

"Oh…"

Ayame was staring at him curiously, "You're Tiger."

"Taiga…hey, it's Kagami-san to you!" Kagami scowled, Ayame giggled softly. He was taken aback from the reaction; after all he'd only seen the girl in two modes: scared and crying. He kneeled down his expression softening.

"Why are you sneaking off in the middle of the night?"

She rubbed at her eyes, a familiar determined look in her eyes. "I hated being alone in that room. They already made Kuroko-sensei go away…"

"They made him go away…?"

"I don't know why." She shook her head and a sad look appeared on her face. He could understand why the girl would be scared to be by herself.

Kagami sighed and rubbed his head, "I'll probably get in trouble for this…and you don't even know me, but if you want I could stay with you-oof!"

The girl plowed into his chest, jumping in his grasp. "Yes! Yes!" she hesitated before continuing in a sweet voice, "Please?"

"Sure, kid." Kagami laughed, rubbing her head.

Ayame smiled and gave Kagami a hug, "Like always Kuroko-sensei is right!"

Kagami gave her a questioning look; he lifted the little girl and stood up with her. "What are you talking about?" She giggled again, and Kagami wanted to grin at the sound. It was natural and it was happy, and it felt right coming from the child.

"Well…one day in class we asked Kuroko-sensei what made him really really happy." She smiled at Kagami, "He started talking about you. He says you're really nice."

"Kuroko-sensei said he likes talking to you, and eating with you, and playing basketball with you…" Kagami's eyes widened and he felt his heart clench as the young girl continued talking. "Ne, Tiger-san Kuroko-sensei really likes you doesn't he?"

"Yeah." Kagami gulped dryly, "He really does."

"You make him happy." Ayame beamed at him.

"I make him happy…" Kagami echoed, the words kind of sparked an untamed joy inside. He flicked her nose, "You make him happy too."

"Really?" she seemed thrilled at the idea.

"Of course." Kagami laughed.

"Okay, so we're both going to make a promise right now." Ayame's voice was stern and she held out her pinky finger seriously. "We're not going to make Kuroko sad, we have to pinky swear on it."

"So I won't…I won't cry anymore." She sniffed and puffed out her cheeks, trying to imitate a brave face. She was caught off balance when Kagami bumped their foreheads together.

"It's okay to cry you know."

Ayame gave him an uncertain look, "I feel sad when I cry."

"It's better than keeping all of that inside you know. You have to let it out somehow." Kagami sighed deeply, he seemed reluctant to continue. "I used to be sad some time ago, but I felt better when everything wasn't bottled up inside me. So if crying helps, even a little bit…it's alright."

"But Kuroko-sensei looks so sad when I cry, I'm not gonna do that anymore." Even though her eyes were half-lidded she was casting a stubborn look at Kagami. He noticed the cute little yawn she hid behind her hand and started rocking her.

"How about this? You don't have to cry when he's around, I'm not saying cry by yourself…but if you ever feel like you want to cry. You can come to me."

"You won't feel bad if I cry with you?" her voice was quiet, she looked sleepy.

"I won't feel bad…like I said it isn't bad if you want to cry. It's even okay if you cry in front of Kuroko." Kagami said patiently, "It doesn't make you weak if you cry."

Ayame laid her head on Kagami's shoulder and gripped his shirt. "If I can come to you whenever I want…d-does that mean you aren't gonna leave me? You and Kuroko-sensei?"

"…we're not going anywhere Ayame."

The girl smiled into his shirt. "You're really warm." she mumbled into his shoulder sleepily, her arms couldn't even wrap completely around his back. It took a few moments but her warm breaths puffing against his neck evened out.

Kagami ran a hand up her small back patting her brown locks absently. He could get used to this.


	6. Seperation

"Kagami-kun?"

The red-head jolted awake at the sound of his name, he looked up startled at the sight of Kuroko standing at the door. His boyfriend looked surprised before shifting his eyes to the bed where Ayame was sleeping.

Kagami followed his gaze to where Ayame's hand was resting against his arm. After he tucked her in bed last night, he had planned on leaving back to the apartment to maybe find Kuroko. But before he could even move her hand clutched tighter his shirt. It probably wouldn't have taken much more than a tug to break free but her weak grip was powerful enough to keep Kagami seated next to her for the rest of the night.

"Uh…she was wandering around the hospital last night so I took her back to bed." Kagami explained nervously, ducking his head to avoid the piercing ice gaze. He heard Kuroko step closer.

"You stayed the whole night with her?" Kuroko asked.

"She didn't exactly want me to leave…I also didn't want to leave her by herself."Kagami shrugged indifferently, smoothing his large hand over her fisted grip on his arm. "It didn't feel right; she's been left behind too much."

Kuroko was silent but continued towards Ayame, when he reached her side he leaned down checking her even breaths and noticing the lack of tear stains on her cheek. "She slept soundly?"

Kagami smiled proudly, "She's been out since I tucked her in bed." Suddenly the look of confidence faltered, "…that's good right?"

"That's great." Kuroko laughed softly, patting the young girls head lightly. "She was still having nightmares when I was here; if she slept peacefully that's a good sign."

Kagami sucked in his breath and let it out with relief, "Glad I did something right." He joked lightly. His smile faltered when Kuroko turned towards him. He looked tired and sad. It killed Kagami that it was his fault, his words that made Kuroko upset. His over-protective instincts flared, but the only person he had to blame was himself.

"I'm sorry Kuroko." Kagami said sincerely, "I shouldn't have stormed out on you like that yesterday, it was stupid. I know."

"You don't have to apologize Kagami-kun, it's my fault for springing everything up on you like that. And then expecting you to decide so quickly…it wasn't fair of me. Besides that…" Kuroko said slowly staring back at Ayame. "Thank you for taking care of her…I think you really helped."

"I dunno about that," Kagami admitted rubbing the back of his neck. "First thing I said to her she started crying right after."

Kuroko sent him an unimpressed look, "Tactless as ever Kagami-kun."

"Oi! Look, she was ready to cry at the drop of a pin….not that I would blame her." Kagami glanced back at Ayame. "But she basically melted in my arms when I held her."

"You're good with kids Kagami-kun." Kuroko said fondly, "Do you remember when you visited my class with all your firemen equipment? The kids loved you."

"Really?" Kagami muttered, before chuckling at the memory. "Those brats of yours kept asking if they could ride in the fire truck with me or help water down a fire." He held his gaze on Ayame a bit longer, "You're kids are really something."

There was a comfortable silence between the pair as they glanced at the sleeping child. Kagami took a deep breath before turning to his boyfriend.

"Kuroko." Kagami said firmly, standing up from Ayame's side and moving towards the door indicating he wanted to talk to him outside. Kuroko followed him with a nod after giving a final look at Ayame sleeping. He closed the door softly behind him before turning to his boyfriend who had sat down on the bench outside.

Kagami shot him a nervous look, "I was thinking about our situation yesterday…and I..uh.."

He was rubbing his flat palm against his left thigh again, Kuroko knew this was a sign of stress and he immediately shot a hand out to grab his larger hands. He squeezed it encouragingly.

"Kagami-kun, I'm not forcing you to make a decision. You have no obligations to me." Kuroko said, "This isn't your-"

"Listen to me for a second…okay?I just, being a father? Adopting a kid? I have no idea whether we could do it…whether I could do it. I just don't know, it's all so sudden and thinking about it…I mean it's scary. Thinking about all the uncertainty of all of this. But I do know one thing for certain," Kagami took a deep breath, holding his boyfriend's hand tenderly.

"I don't want to break-up with you; I don't want to live without you. I can't even imagine what I would do, after everything we've been through…after what I've been through-" Kagami cut off the train of thought squeezing his eyes painfully. "You've been the one certainty this entire time, and I'm not going to lose that because I'm scared."

Kuroko moved in closer, kneeling beside Kagami and pressing their foreheads together. "What are you so scared of? I'm right here…and we make a pretty good team last time I checked."

Kagami laughed softly at that, opening his eyes and staring back into Kuroko's. "So…I guess we're doing this then?"

"I think so…" Kuroko said, pressing their noses together, "We're…going to be parents. You ready?"

"Hell no." Kagami muttered, smiling softly when Kuroko laughed against his cheeks and his breath warmed his skin. The red head pulled Kuroko in closer, to kiss up his pale throat. "But that hasn't stopped as before."

Kuroko sighed as the kisses trailed closer to his mouth before warning gently, "Kagami-kun, Ayame is still in the room."

"Great…" Kagami growled, "Looks like we won't be able to display much affection in front of the brat. Maybe we could go to the firehouse and-OUCH!"

Kuroko stared at him unimpressed, after twisting Kagami's ear sharply. "I told you that's disgusting Kagami-kun. And she isn't a brat she…if everything goes right, she'll be our daughter."

"Our daughter…" Kagami said. The word felt strange coming off his tongue. He glanced back at Ayame running the word through his head over and over again. Daughter, daughter…that sweet little girl sleeping peacefully on the bed was going to be his daughter.

Kuroko felt a jolt of joy when he saw the grin growing on Kagami's face as he stared at Ayame. Kuroko leaned in, pressing his lips against Kagami's ear with a smile. "We're going to be a family."

.

.

.

"Alright, we finished all the paperwork…now as it stands Ayame will be staying at an adoption center with other children going through similar circumstances. The adoption agency will be reviewing both your backgrounds and be interviewing you at your house to see whether you two are fit to be her parents."

The woman, Watanabe Akira, had been the same social worker that Kuroko had been talking with since the accident a few nights ago. She glanced back to the two men sitting in a meeting room at the hospital; Kuroko and Kagami were tiredly sitting in the chairs in front of her desk trying to pay attention to what she was saying with minimal success.

She gave them a weak smile, "I know you two must be tired, we can go through the rest tomorrow. You two can go ahead home."

"Thank you for all the help Watanabe-san." Kuroko softly said, "Do you think we can see Ayame-chan before we leave."

"Of course, the center should be picking her up soon though. We can meet them at the hospital lobby. We can walk and talk come on you two, if you plan on being parents working while tired is half the job." She smiled as she stood up; escorting the two young men back to the lobby.

"Now the process will take a while, a lot of clerical stuff at first like background checks and checking to see whether you can financially take care of her comfortably. After that they will be visiting your apartment doing interviews with you personally, oh! And you'll need some recommendations from friends or colleagues." Watanabe explained, noticing the look of confusion passed between the couple. "I know this is a lot to take in…but it is all necessary. Not too overwhelming I hope?"

"Not for Ayame's sake, we're prepared to do whatever it takes." Kuroko said, Kagami glanced over recognized the determination surging in his boyfriend's voice. He smiled at the tone, hearing the confidence in Kuroko's voice had always been a motivation for him. "But I did have a question…"

"I'm surprised you haven't had a question yet," she laughed, turning towards them after finally reaching the lobby. She checked her watch quickly, "They should be here any minute, but go ahead."

"I was just wondering…would are chances be hurt at all because…" Kuroko looked uncomfortable for a second before continuing, "…because we're both male?"

Kagami glanced back at Kuroko at the question, he actually hadn't thought about that. Would they really not want two men adopting? Was that a big deal?

Watanabe sighed, "I wouldn't say it's a problem but I can't guarantee they won't take it into consideration. They will question whether two men would be able to handle a growing girl's needs."

"Of course we can." Kagami scoffed, angry at the idea of being denied the adoption because of his sexual orientation. "Do they not think we're competent enough?"

"They might think so." She answered bluntly, "but I will be advocating for your case. I've been watching you guys for the past two days, I don't believe anyone cares more about that girl's well-being that you two. And I will make sure everyone comes to the same realization."

"Watanabe-san…thank you." Kuroko muttered genuinely, "Thanks for believing in us."

"I'm just doing my job." She said, "And I think you two are the best fit to take care of Ayame-chan. Speaking of which…"

Kuroko and Kagami glanced up at her words and saw Ayame walking towards them with a different social service person behind the young girl. The lady looked intimidating her hair tied up tightly in a bun. Ayame didn't look pleased as she quietly walked beside the stoic social service, that was until she noticed Kuroko and Kagami and her features immediately brightened.

"Kuroko-sensei! Tiger!" she exclaimed running towards them.

"Oi! It's Taiga-ooff!" Ayame ran into his legs, almost making him fall over from the sudden impact. "Do you always have to do that?"

She laughed, before reaching over to tug on Kuroko's pant legs. "That weird lady who came in my room said she was taking me away, if I knew she was bringing me to you guys I would have been happier much earlier."

Kuroko smiled kneeling down to allow Ayame to hug him, "It's only for a little bit though, Ayame-chan."

She frowned at him, "What do you mean?"

"Well…you're going to be staying at a nice place with other boys and girls for a while until we get things sorted out."

"I thought you guys were taking care of me?" she asked, he eyes were wide and scared as she looked between Kuroko and Kagami. She reached for Kuroko's had squeezing it pleadingly, "You said we…you said you wouldn't leave me?"

"It's just for a bit Ayame." Kagami said in a placating tone. He patted her head gently, "Like Kuroko said, we have to handle a few things before we can let you wreck your havoc."

"We need to be going." The other social worker said to Watanabe impatiently, she frowned.

"Give them a minute."

"I think it's time to say goodbye for now, kid." Kagami smiled gently.

"But why can't I stay with you?" Ayame whined refusing to let go of Kuroko's hand. She even reached out and grabbed Kagami's hand stubbornly.

"Ayame-chan. I know you don't want to but you have to go with Watanabe-san for now." Kuroko calmly explained trying to detangle his fingers from her grasp. Ayame looked desperate to cling on. "Ayame-chan, you need to listen to me."

"No! You're leaving me, both of you." Ayame protested angrily, "If you leave me, then you were lying to me. You said you'd stay with me!"

"We need to be going; you two shouldn't even be allowed to see her until you get court approval." The social worker muttered, grabbing Ayame's upper arm.

"Kuroko-sensei, please! Please, let me come with you!" Ayame cried, as she was pulled away from Kuroko's grasp. Kuroko looked shocked and automatically reached his hand out to grab her hand again at her frantic pleads. He stopped at Kagami's hand squeezing his shoulder.

"We probably shouldn't…" Kagami said unsurely, although he looked just as pained at Ayame's struggling.

"He's right, I know it's tough but…technically you shouldn't be allowed to see her yet." Watanabe said softly. Kuroko was barely paying attention; Ayame had been pulled all the way to the exit and was out-right crying at this point. "I should be going, but I'll call you soon."

"Yeah…" Kuroko said despondently. Kagami wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pressing him close.

"It'll be fine." Kagami muttered gently into his ear, "Don't worry."


	7. Process

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now we're all up to date, so don't expect another chapter too soon unfortunately. But still, enjoy!

Kuroko just got off the phone and gave Kagami a tired smile before dropping on the couch to join his boyfriend. It had been a long week for both of them, Kagami had picked up extra shifts whenever he could and Kuroko had to constantly explain to a group of five year olds why their friend would no longer be attending class with them. Then today as soon as they got home from work, Watanabe had called with news concerning the adoption.

Kuroko stretched his legs on top of Kagami's lap and gave an appreciative sigh when large hands started massaging his feet. "Mmm…feels good."

"Yeah?" Kagami smiled, rubbing soothing circles into the worn out feet. "I'm pretty good at massages, huh?"

Kuroko nodded before raising his brows mockingly, "Those muscles are good for something after all."

"Yeah not like they're useful for my job or anything." Kagami rolled his eyes, before releasing his hold on his boyfriend's feet.

"Speaking of your job…you didn't have to pick up those extra shifts." Kuroko said placing his feet on the floor so he could move closer and run his hand through the fiery red strands gently, "We don't need the extra money that badly, and you look so tired."

Kagami shrugged, "I don't want money to be an issue with this adoption process."

"It's not going to be…at least it shouldn't be." Kuroko mumbled, before he noticed Kagami rubbing his eyes blearily. "Kagami-kun, if you keep this up you'll look so worn-out people will mistake you for an old man."

"Shove it, Kuroko. Can't you appreciate it when I do something nice?"

"Not when you're putting your life in danger." Kuroko said sharply his eyes narrowed, Kagami looked startled at the serious tone. "Your job isn't something where clocking a couple of hours will just mean less sleep, you're constantly in danger."

"Kuroko…lighten up. You know me!" Kagami grinned brightly, enthusiasm and optimism fueling his sudden burst of energy. Kuroko sighed shaking his head slowly.

"Kagami-kun…I worry enough about you as is. Please don't endanger yourself any more than you already do." Kuroko said, his voice almost pleading. "Especially not for the sake of Ayame or me, we need you alive more than anything."

Kagami stared at him for a few moments before giving in to a tired smile and closing his eyes, "You're right of course…but what if I promise not to do anything dangerous."

"You're promising as a fireman to not do anything dangerous?" Kuroko asked blankly.

"Well when you say it like that, I sound dumb…" Kagami scratched his head absently.

"Kagami-kun."

"It'll just be extra paper-work, that's it! I promise!" Kagami earnestly pleaded, Kuroko rolled his eyes.

"I don't know why you want to work so hard, but I suppose I can agree to that." Kuroko shook his head when Kagami grinned triumphantly. "Is it worth it, all this extra work you don't like doing for some extra money we don't need?"

"For you and Ayame?"Kagami shrugged, "Worth it." He yawned the last word. Kuroko smiled leaning closer and resting his arms against the broad shoulders of his boyfriend. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. What did Watanabe say?"

"She's getting the court's approval for visitation rights tomorrow, so we can see Ayame as soon as Wednesday." Kuroko said, "She also says she needs our recommendations by next week."

"Oh god she was serious about that…" Kagami griped.

"According to Watanabe-san we need three recommendations. We can choose who we want, but they preferably want at least one from a family member." Kuroko sighed and gave Kagami a long look. "Have you told your parents yet?"

"I haven't had time to breathe, are you kidding me?" Kagami grumbled tiredly. "What about you?"

"I'm pretty sure the last time I talked to my parents you hadn't even asked me to move in yet." Kuroko mumbled softly, he looked a little sad glancing away. "Remember, we aren't very close…"

"Right, yeah…sorry." Kagami sat up straighter, bringing an arm to wrap around Kuroko's waist and squeezing him encouragingly. "Well to be honest…I don't want to tell my parents either. I feel like they wouldn't be too happy with the idea of adoption."

"We need someone… and I know he isn't exactly related to you but you could ask-"

"No, nope I'm not telling Tatsuya. I think that's worse than telling my parents." Kagami muttered firmly.

"Kagami-kun, we need three recommendations and Himuro-san's would help a lot." Kuroko countered sternly.

Kagami sighed deeply, "But Tatsuya is always…he thinks I'm so immature and impulsive. Last time we talked, I told him we might be thinking of adopting a pet. So you want me to just call him up and be like, scratch the pet we're getting a kid."

"I can't believe you're afraid of your not-even-related-to-you-brother." Kuroko shook his head completely unimpressed.

"I'm not afraid!"

"Besides that, I've never even seen Himuro-san mad at you before."

"It's because he doesn't get mad…he just….I bet he'll think we're irresponsible and not thinking straight. And then he'll get all stupidly disappointed and….ughhh." Kagami let out a frustrated growl, before biting his lip nervously, "Do I have to?"

Kuroko patted his chest comfortingly, "It's cute how much you want to impress Himuro-san. It's like a little brother always trying to get his older brother's attention."

"Shut up!" Kagami flushed flinching away from his boyfriend, "It isn't cute…and that's not…just…shut up." He muttered in defeat. Kuroko smirked triumphantly and slid the phone towards Kagami.

"Call him. He has a radio show, he's practically a celebrity. And he loves you, even if he won't agree with our decision. I'm sure he'll still write us a good recommendation."

"Fine…but if I'm asking Tatsuya you're asking Akashi."

Kuroko's eyes widened dramatically. "But…I-"

"No, no, no…deal is a deal. Akashi owns his own company, babe. If a recommendation from a CEO won't help I don't know what will." Kagami grinned when Kuroko failed to come with a counter argument. The smaller man gave him a glare.

"You just brought Akashi-kun up on purpose….but you're right, it would help." Kuroko reluctantly admitted before giving Kagami a pointed look, "We need one more person."

"I was thinking Aomine…since you know…he knows both of us…pretty well…maybe...stop giving me that look." Kagami growled at Kuroko's growing smirk. "What?"

"Nothing." Kuroko pressed his lips against Kagami's shoulder to hide his smile. Aomine was probably Kuroko's first best friend, and he'd been pleased with the two former power forward's growing relationship. It warmed his heart seeing two people he cared about deeply becoming so close. "So, you can ask him at your next pick-up game?"

"Yeah..yeah. And I'll call Tatsu, but I'll do it tomorrow. He was in Kyoto for some promotion thing today. He's probably worn out." Kagami sighed, allowing Kuroko's head to rest against his shoulder. The couple finally seemed to be feeling the weight of their fatigue.

"Aren't we all?"

.

.

.

"So you love me right?" Kagami asked casually balancing his phone against his ear with his shoulder. He was mixing a batter of pancakes for breakfast, his boyfriend still snoozing in the bedroom. "You know unconditionally, you have to. Brothers have to love each other."

A long sigh came from the other end, "What did you do Taiga?"

"I don't appreciate the accusing tone Tatsuya."

"What did you do Taiga?" Himuro emphasized managing to retain a calm tone.

"Well…Kuroko and I might be trying to adopt a child." Kagami winced preemptively waiting for a response. He had a feeling that Himuro wouldn't be happy, but Kagami knew that he needed his brother's support if they were going to get through this adoption.

"…excuse me?" Himuro asked a few moments later, his voice strained. "You are adopting a kid?"

"It was kind of last second, and I know you're going to think I'm being impulse and immature and-"

"Taiga, Taiga, calm down!" Himuro said, "I'm not judging you, just…can you calmly explain what is going on?"

Kagami sighed, "There is this little girl in Kuroko's kindergarten class whose parents died recently, she doesn't have anybody else and we decided to try and adopt her. I know this is kind of sudden and that we haven't thought this through-"

"What's her name?"

"Oh…it's Ayame.

"Ayame, huh…what does she look like?"

"She has brown eyes and brown hair; usually they're in these little pig tails. And when she smiles you see her dimples and cute little freckles on her cheeks."

"Ayame sounds adorable." Himuro said softly.

"She really is…her laugh is contagious, I swear. Then she does this silly thing where she calls me Tiger, I pretend to be annoyed but honestly it's kind of cute." By then Kagami hadn't realized he was grinning like crazy.

"I can't wait to meet her."

"Yeah, I-wait, really?" Kagami's face brightened. "You…you're okay with this?"

Himuro laughed softly, "Of course Taiga. I'm proud of you, of both of you. It is a big step though, but…it sounds like you really care about this little girl. Besides it's your life, and I trust you. Both of you have my total support."

Kagami felt a sense of relief flood his body. Himuro's opinion about the adoption wouldn't affect their decision on the matter but it still felt good that his brother was okay with this. "I'm so glad Tatsuya! I really am, it…it means a lot."

"It shouldn't," Himuro mused lightly. "But I'm happy that it's comforting."

"More than you'd ever know! I was worried you'd be all disapproving and everything-"

"Don't get me wrong." Himuro warned, "I'm not saying this is going to be easy. And you two are crazy for doing this but just hearing you talk about…Ayame-chan, I can tell the decision has been made. Besides…if anyone can face such a daunting challenge it's you and Kuroko."

"We do make an awesome team." Kagami nodded, "Oh…but we do need help with something. We need to turn in recommendations; do you think you could write one for us? I'll email you the paperwork."

"Of course, whatever I can do to help." Himuro chuckled softly, "But I will be honest. If I have to tell them about embarrassing stories when you were a kid, I won't hesitate."

"God you're the worst…let's hope it doesn't come to that." Kagami groaned, but he smiled softly when he heard Himuro laughing. A sudden realization made him grin wider, "Tatsu, you know what this means? You're going to be an uncle!"

Himuro was silent on the line for a moment before Kagami heard a soft whisper, "Thank you Taiga, I look forward to it."

.

.

.

Kuroko yawned as he stepped inside of the kitchen; he glanced up at Kagami talking enthusiastically into the phone and smiled softly. He poured himself a mug of coffee before sitting at the breakfast table. After work Kuroko and Kagami was going to visit Ayame for the first time since she left the hospital. She wasn't pleased the last time they saw each other, so Kuroko was a little worried.

He paused in his thoughts when his phone buzzed on the table, seeing it was Watanabe he answered immediately. "Good morning Watanabe-san."

"Good morning, Kuroko-san." The woman answered warmly, "I have some good news for you. I got the date for your in-house interview."

"Really? Already?" Kuroko asked.

"Well, we cleared through the initial paper-work pretty quickly. It isn't surprising; they want to get Ayame into a home as soon as possible." Watanabe explained coolly, "Now, the first interview will be at the adoption center with Ayame. That's going to be in two weeks, and then a week after that we'll be at your place for the inspection."

"Wow…this is all happening so fast."

"Which should be a good sign…you guys are being a major exception to the rule. I see a future of jealous glares from passing adopting couples." Watanabe joked, "Now don't get too overwhelmed. Just concentrate on getting those recommendations in and making sure they're good. One mess up in this entire process and it's over."

"Oh…right, okay."

"Don't bail on me now, you guys can do this. I'll talk to you later, have fun seeing Ayame today. Say hi to Kagami-san for me. Bye now!" Kuroko blinked staring back down at the phone.

"Two or three pancakes?" Kagami called out from the kitchen.

"Three please." Kuroko responded, Kagami returned to the table placing the pancakes down. "Watanabe-san just called with the dates for the interview and the inspection."

Kagami whistled lowly, "When is it?"

"Interview at the center in two weeks, and then the inspection will be the week after that." Kuroko said cutting into the pancakes and letting the blueberry syrup seep down. He licked his lips before taking a bite, "You think you're ready for the interview?"

"How hard could it be?" Kagami said in a muffled voice, stuffing more bites in his mouth. "Couple of questions about our life and if we're nice people and haven't murdered anyone and blah blah bleh, we're done."

"I doubt it will be as easy as that." Kuroko mumbled. He looked away with a flat glare. "If anything…that's when they'll question whether two men can take care of a girl."

Kagami paused before shrugging and continuing to eat, "Like I said easy, stupid stuff." He sent a grin towards Kuroko, brimming with optimism. "Remember? We can handle anything."

Kuroko stared at his boyfriend before smiling softly and shaking his head. "Yeah…of course we can."

.

.

.

Kuroko waited at the lobby of the adoption center patiently waiting to see Ayame. He was nervous about seeing her, the last time they saw each other she was crying and it was his fault. Kuroko sighed, before hearing the door open.

"Hey, sorry I'm late." Kagami said breathlessly taking off his jacket. Kuroko blinked at the sight; did Kagami really have to wear his tight fireman shirt? When Kagami leaned down to press a peck against Kuroko's lips, the smaller man gripped Kagami's shirt to pull him in closer for a deeper kiss.

"Mmmhh…whoa .This is the wrong place to get it on, but hey I'm up for it."

"It isn't my fault, that shirt should be out-lawed." Kuroko shook his head seriously. Kagami snickered.

"If anyone knew how much of a pervert you actually are-"

"Please, Kagami-kun. Don't get us kicked out before we even get to see her."

"Right, right…" he chuckled, sitting down next to Kuroko. Kagami slid a hand down Kuroko's thigh before giving it a squeeze, "You look tense, relax. Ayame can't stay mad at us forever."

"You'd be surprised how long five ear olds can hold a grudge."

"Kuroko-san, Kagami-san?" a woman suddenly appeared from one of the doors, smiling at the couple. "Ayame is ready to see you; I'll take you to the room she's staying in."

Kagami glanced at Kuroko, "Ready?"

"Yes, let's go." Kuroko nodded firmly. They stood up and joined their hands together before following the woman. When they entered the room Ayame was sitting on the bed reading a book, her hair for once in a messy braid. She looked up when the door opened her eyes widening at the sight before her cheeks puffed out angrily and she stubbornly looked down at the book pretending to read.

"Ayame-chan." Kuroko called out patiently, Ayame's brows furrowed but she refused to look up. "I know you're angry with us, but talking might help."

Ayame's frown deepened and she thrust her face further into the book, "I wonder what that noise is?" she drawled.

"I dunno maybe its two people who care about you and are only trying to help." Kagami responded with a soft smile. Ayame scrunched her nose unhappily.

"I think it sounds more like an ugly Tiger."

Kagami's brows twitched, "Ugly-?! If you can't see us how do you know I'm ugly?"

"Cause ugly things usually smell!"

"Oi, what was that brat?!" Kagami snapped.

"Who's the brat?!" Ayame yelled back looking straight at them. She startled at her accident admission to their presence, before crossing her arms and looking the other way.

"Kagami-kun, please refrain from reverting into a kindergartener yourself." Kuroko muttered with a glare, "Ayame-chan, haven't you learned to use your words to express your feelings?"

"No! I don't care what you taught me!" she shouted, "You guys abandoned me, I hate you!"

She huffed angrily, and broke off the gaze. Kuroko's eyes widened as he stared back at Ayame. He knew Ayame didn't mean it, and that she was just lashing out because of the situation. But even with this knowledge in the back of his head and Kagami's comfortingly squeezing his hand, it all still hurt.

.

**Author's Note:**

> So...someone suggested I post this to my AO3 account...so I did it. This is also on fanfiction.net if it all seems eerily familiar. I hope you like it, I'll probably update with the rest of the chapters soon. Like very soon. Till then!


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